More Aromatherapy Concerns

I too have concerns about the commercial claims made by some so-called “aromatherapy” products (“The Sweet Smell of Excess,” by Nelson Handel, June 15). I have come across candles and soaps that smell nothing like the herbs that they’re supposed to contain. In fact, many products often smell alike, despite their various labels describing different exotic ingredients.

The relief, albeit transitory, that lavender provides for migraines has been well documented, and the use of eucalyptus as an inhalant for respiratory conditions can be verified by about half of all mothers in the country. But it’s not true that scents, if they have a specific effect on the human body, have the same effect for everyone. No two people are exactly alike, not for prescription drugs or any other kind of medicine.

James Stuart

President

Long Beach Herb Society